Rubio Hearing: Supporting Ukraine's Resistance Against Russian Aggression

Key Chapter Title List

1. Testimony Background and Acknowledgments
2. Historical and Strategic Background of the Ukraine Crisis
3. Global Security Implications of Russian Aggression
4. Response and Assistance from the United States and Its Allies
5. International Dimensions of the Conflict and the "Axis of Aggressors"
6. Core U.S. Interests and Strategic Obligations
7. List of Policy Recommendations for the United States
8. Ukraine's Future and NATO Membership
9. Conclusion: The Strategic Value of Supporting Ukraine

Document Introduction

This report is based on the complete text of the testimony delivered by the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA) at the January 15, 2025, Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing for Secretary of State nominee Marco A. Rubio. As an umbrella organization with an 85-year history representing the interests of over 2 million Ukrainian Americans, the testimony systematically articulates the Ukrainian-American community's position, rationale, and specific policy requests regarding continued U.S. support for Ukraine's resistance against Russia's full-scale aggression.

The report begins by clarifying its core argument: a strong, democratic, and independent Ukraine aligns with U.S. national security interests and is consistent with its tradition of supporting individual liberty and self-determination. The testimony reviews the history of aggression, from Russia's initial invasion of Crimea and the Donbas in 2014 to its launch of a full-scale war in 2022 to prevent Ukraine's integration into the Euro-Atlantic community. The report analyzes Russia's war within a broader global security framework, noting that its imperial "Russian World" policy and its multi-vector destabilization actions targeting NATO constitute the most severe threat to the rules-based international order since World War II.

The testimony provides a detailed assessment of the leading role the United States has played since the conflict's outbreak, including sanctions against Russia and the provision of over $60 billion in security assistance to Ukraine. The report emphasizes that such aid is not only vital for Ukraine's survival but also acknowledges Ukraine's geostrategic importance in the global security landscape, while providing strategic benefits by revitalizing the U.S. domestic defense industrial base. The report further reveals the international dimensions of the conflict, pointing out that China, through its "no limits" partnership and massive support for Russia's defense industrial base, has become a critical "enabler" of Russia's war; Iran provides direct military support through ballistic missiles and thousands of "Shahed" drones; and signs of potential involvement by North Korean troops indicate the further internationalization of the conflict, forming an increasingly powerful "axis of aggressors."

Based on the above analysis, the report asserts that a Russian victory in Ukraine would embolden China's actions in the Indo-Pacific and encourage global nuclear proliferation, making the current cost of supporting Ukraine far lower than the future cost of defending democratic values. The core section of the testimony presents a series of specific policy recommendations for the United States, including designating Russia as a "State Sponsor of Terrorism," continuing security assistance through supplemental appropriations or the National Defense Authorization Act, increasing sanctions on Russia's energy and financial sectors, utilizing frozen Russian sovereign assets for Ukraine's reconstruction, recognizing Russia's current war and historical atrocities as genocide, advancing Ukraine's NATO membership, and pressuring China over its support for Russia's war machine.

Finally, the report concludes that Ukraine's victory carries profound geostrategic implications for the global order. Compromising with authoritarian aggression would embolden authoritarian regimes worldwide and endanger freedom movements, while a decisive Ukrainian victory would be a powerful affirmation of the durability and vitality of democratic values. For the United States, supporting Ukraine aligns with its broader strategic interests in upholding the rules-based international order and preventing the rise of revisionist powers, representing an investment in a stable, secure, and democratic world.